Human Capital
Human capital includes such individual attributes as education and health-the skills and personal traits that seem to cause some people to be able to take greater advantage of economic opportunities open to them. Like social capital, human capital rarely operates in a vacuum; it interacts with other factors in helping to explain different patterns of economic mobility. Human capital indicators include parents' educational attainment, child's educational attainment, interactions between health and the economy, individuals' generational health status and health insurance, among others.
In today's economy, a child's educational attainment strongly influences his or her earnings and is a strong determinant of economic mobility. However, the likelihood that individuals will earn a college degree depends on a number of factors outside the individual's control, most notably their parents' educational level and family income, their race and sex. Health is also an important consideration in one's mobility - poor health can negatively impact long-term earnings and thus economic mobility, particularly if it causes interruptions or limitations during the critical years of education and employment.
- Human Capital - Figure 1: The Role of Education in Intergenerational Economic Mobility
- Human Capital - Figure 2: College Education Runs in The Family
- Human Capital - Figure 3: Greater Education Leads to Greater Prosperity
- Human Capital - Figure 4: Higher Education Can Pay Off Even More as One Gets Older
- Human Capital - Figure 5: Breakdown of Educational Attainment in The United States
- Human Capital - Figure 6: Low-Income Families Take Step Back in Sending Kids to College
- Human Capital - Figure 7: Enrollment Rates and Type of College Chosen Reflect Family Income
- Human Capital - Figure 8: Women Earning More College Degrees Than Men
- Human Capital - Figure 9: Women Continue to Gain on Men’s Income Levels
- Human Capital - Figure 10: Percent of College Graduates Ages 25–29 Has Increased For All Racial Groups, But The Racial Gap is Still Pronounced
- Human Capital - Figure 11: Individuals with Lower Income, Regardless of Education, Report Having Poorer Health Later in Life
- Human Capital - Figure 12: Individuals with Higher Income Are Less Likely to Report Having Poor Health
- Human Capital - Figure 13: Poor Health Can Result in Lost Earnings
- Human Capital - Figure 14: More Children Are Becoming Overweight, Regardless of Age
- Human Capital - Figure 15: Low Birthweight Can Inhibit Earnings
- Human Capital - Figure 16: Blacks Report More Health Problems Than Whites
